Happening this weekend, (and officially SOLD OUT, although Craigslist and Facebook have got plenty of resales if you are inclined) the California Roots Music and Arts Festival has become the biggest thing to hit the tiny town of Monterey since the aquarium opened. The fest started out as a one-day show by a guy with a clothing brand. In just four years, producer Jeff Monser has nurtured Cali Roots into one of the most solid music gatherings on the West Coast. This isn’t roots music – this is pure Cali-style roots rock reggae with big names that include Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution, Matisyahu, and Katchafire plus 40 other bands. A live music feed is available on the Cali Roots website, so if you aren’t going it will be just as fun to crack a Pabst and sit around the apartment complex pool all weekend.

One of the really great trends in music festivals are their zero-waste efforts. Cali Roots is striving to become a zero-waste event by manning normal trash stations with volunteers. Instead of the barrels overflowing with mixed up garbage, staff with be educating concert-goers on how to separate organics and recyclables from landfill products. Monterey’s “Offset Project” works with vendors to provide only compostable and recyclable food ware and when the event is done, all food materials are locally processed and sent to vineyards and golf courses as compost. Good music, good deeds – we can smoke to that.